a b s t r a c t
Medical sonographers are known to be at an increased risk of developing occupationally related
musculoskeletal pain or injury. However, scan-specific, on-site ergonomic job evaluations which also
include a quantitative analysis of upper extremity joint biomechanics are not the norm. The objective of
the study is to identify and quantify scan-specific risk-factors for upper extremity work-related
musculoskeletal pain in sonography. Seven subjects participated in the study which used a combination
of self-reported and measured job analyses to specifically address risk-factors related to diagnostic
medical sonography. 86% of sonographers reported upper extremity musculoskeletal pain. Ergonomic
evaluation revealed that changes should be made soon. Shoulder abduction and wrist deviation angles
were quantified and found to be greater than previously published acceptable limits.
Relevance to Industry: Although all the investigated scans involve injury risk, the specific risk-factors and
their relative importance varies between scan types. The scan-specific risk-factors must be considered
when determining the risk of musculoskeletal pain and in designing interventions to prevent or reduce
the incidence of injury among sonographers.